1 of 1

Next time you're chowin' down on Chicken McNuggets or wingin' it at KFC, think about Mike. Headless Mike.

Mike, a chicken who grew up on a farm in Fruita, Colorado, in 1945, was headed for the same fowl fate that most of his kind usually face: the chopping block.

Lloyd Olsen swung his ax, and Mike's head went rolling. And Mike kept strutting as if nothing had happened. And he kept strutting and strutting and …

Now, it's not unusual for a just-chopped clucker to keep running around for a few minutes. But Mike kept it up, not just for minutes, but for hours. For days. For weeks. For months!

Yep, Mike kept right on living for a year and a half after losing his head. Farmer Lloyd kept feeding Mike a mixture of milk and water with an eyedropper, dropping the solution right into Mike's open esophagus. (Gross!)

Pretty soon, Lloyd and Mike were on the road, charging some change to check out the chick now known as "Miracle Mike." People even got to see Mike's severed head in a jar! (Disgusting!)

Mike finally died one night when he choked on a kernel of corn. (Gag me!)

So, how'd Mike live so long? Scientists found that Lloyd hadn't done a very good job with his ax. Most of Mike's head was history, but one ear, the jugular vein and the brain stem—which controls reflex actions—remained intact.

People in Fruita haven't forgotten Mike. Every May, there's a "Mike the Headless Chicken Day," complete with food (chicken, what else?), a 5K Run Like a Headless Chicken Race, a Chicken Dance, and games — including Pin the Head on the Chicken.

Sounds like a blast! Might just have to chick, er, check it out!

Copyright © 2001 by the author or Christianity Today International/Campus Life magazine.
Click here for reprint information on Campus Life.

 1 of 1

				Try 3 Issues of Christianity Today Free! Name Street Address City/State/Zip E-mail Address Subscribe to Christianity Today and get 3 free trial issues. No credit card required. Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. Offer valid in U.S. only. If you decide you want to keep Christianity Today coming, honor your invoice for just $19.95 and receive nine more issues, a full year in all. If not, simply write "cancel" across the invoice and return it. The three trial issues are yours to keep, regardless.